Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Fairuz - Scheherazadeفيروز - شهرزادShahrazad

This song is from a musical about the 1001 Nights starring Fairuz. For those who are unfamiliar with the plot of the 1001 (Arabian) Nights, it is set in an old imaginary kingdom in present day Iran. There is a king names Shahryar who, after his first wife cheaten on him, has devoted to his life to taking revenge against the fairer sex, and thus, marries a new girl every night and then kills her. The protagonist Scheherazade asks to marry the king Shahryar willingly in order to save womankind by ensnaring Shahryar in an endless web of tales so that each night he allows her to live so that she can continue this open-ended story. This general story serves as the framework for lots of other folk stories told by the narrator Scheherazade, which are all part of the 1001 Nights such as Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves and Aladdin.

Fairuz - Scheherazade

(The group)Oh Scheherazade, sing for love, sing for the nights, love has returnedOh Scheherazade, the farness is close in my mind despite the distance (sorry if that sounds terrible in English)Repeat it again, and again, and again oh ScheherazadeHow come these songs are bringing us back to the joys that were once ours?The days of youth, the flower of the eveningsFragrance has returned to the storyRepeat it again, and again, and again oh Scheherazade

(Fairuz as Scheherazade)

I am Scheherazade of the poem and my voice is the song of painEvery day I once again leave in the morningShahryar used to destroy womenDestroying the poems, and the people, and the namesI've seen the tears of the virgins and heart the weeping of the yearsAnd how the virgins are lost in a palace of pain and moaningAnd then Shahryar started staying up late every night longingAnd thus became a prisoner for 1000 nightsAnd became a prisoner to the storyAnd so the story will free the female captivesRise up, oh captives, for I am Scheherazade

(The rest of the song is basically nonsense)

(the group)Oh beautiful Scheherazade bend slowlyAnd fly like a song in the night and go

(Scheherazade)Oh you who blame me in love, love is but a reproachThe distance has made my tears run and exhaustion healed meSince you told me you loved me, I've lowered my eyes in shameLet's talk about our first night

Egyptian Arabic Course

Hey guys, I've launched a new Egyptian Arabic online course in the blog format using exclusively songs to help learners of Arabic bridge the gap between their knowledge of Standard Arabic and Egyptian dialect. Check it out here.